Blatter appalled by racist abuse of Balotelli

Sepp Blatter has voiced his dismay with the events during Sunday's Serie A encounter between AC Milan and Roma at San Siro as Mario Balotelli was racially abused by fans of the away side.

The referee was forced to temporarily call a halt to proceedings just after half-time following a section of Giallorossi supporters' abusive chants and the Fifa president has stressed that it's time to take action.

"Appalled to read about racist abuse in Serie A last night," Blatter said on his official Twitter account.

He added, "Tackling this issue is complex, but we’re committed to action, not just words. The Taskforce Against Racism & Discrimination are serious about devising a unified approach for FIFA’s 209 members."

Earlier this year, Balotelli's former club Inter was fined for their fans' treatment of the Italy international during the Milan derby in February, while Kevin-Prince Boateng has been subjected to racist abuse on more than one occasion as well this season.

Boateng left the pitch during a friendly against Pro Patria in January to take a stance against racism and was consequently invited to join FIFA's Anti-Discrimination Taskforce.